Crankbrothers Mallet DH

Product:

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:

Even though this has DH in the name, the Mallet is a great pedal for trail use. At 100 x 85mm the platform is the largest on test, and it’s also concave, so your foot contacts the whole of the pedal body.

The Mallet DH doesn’t have the Traction Pad Technology featured on the Mallet E, but four grub screws on either edge provide plenty of grip and, by winding them out slightly, further support if needed.

At the heart of the pedal is Crank Bros’s four-sided Eggbeater binding. It’s very flat relative to the platform, but does revolve as you push down, making engagement easier than with a fixed binding, such as the HT. This mechanism also sits further out relative to the cranks arms, which not only creates a wider stance, it virtually eliminates crank rub when riding in fatter trail shoes.

Crank Bros’s brass cleats have around six-degrees of float, and they can also be swapped over on the shoes to alter the release angle from 15 to 20-degrees. Cleat engagement is a little vague compared to Shimano, and the similar looking Time pedals, as you’d don’t get a positive click when the cleat clips in. We also noticed the springs can creak a bit as they rub together under hard efforts.

The Mallet DH isn’t the thinnest pedal on test, nor, at 244g per pedal, is it the lightest, but it is the most supportive. There’s plenty to push against when charging hard or changing direction in tight trails, and it feels the most like a flat pedal when your foot is unclipped and just resting on the binding.

Ignore the DH label because this is the best caged clipless pedal for trail riding and easily deserves top marks.